A while back I was asked to do something on Mast Cell Activation Syndrome and a simple meal plan for it. So today I am going to talk about that and histamine intolerance since they go together.
Histamine intolerance occurs when there is a buildup of histamine in the body. People often mistake it for other conditions, such as food allergies and gastrointestinal diseases. And it is caused by Mast Cell Activation Syndrome which a lot of people with mold illness do get.
Histamine is problematic because it causes blood-brain barrier permeability and gut permeability. Many foods and drinks contain histamine.
Usually, the enzyme DAO (Diamine Oxidase), and to a lesser extent HNMT (Histamine N-Methyltransferase), breaks down ingested histamine, preventing it from being absorbed in the gut and entering the bloodstream. However, as you know, in mold illness we usually get leaky gut. So things get to our bloodstream quickly and easily, even if they are not supposed to.
Some things that can really influence whether we get histamine intolerance are –
- Alcohol – as it also can create leaky gut, affect our liver, and blood sugar levels.
- Leaky Gut – as it does let everything into our bloodstream affecting our nutrition and immune system.
- Liver conditions – our liver gets clogged up with mold mycotoxins which can bring harm to our liver.
- Deficiencies of Vitamins B-6 and C, and zinc and copper, all needed by the body for detoxification processes.
- Extreme or chronic stress is the number 1 cause of everything as it down regulates our genes, over uses cortisol, causes leaky gut, and has a whole host of other ways it causes problems.
- Low oxygen states that mold causes.
- Temperature extremes stress the body too much too.
So do all you can to not let these be a problem for you. You also need to make sure you are not eating/drinking high histamine containing foods. It would also be a good idea to take some DAO enzyme. This enzyme is usually found in beef kidney. You can get it in a supplement form, just look for organic and grass fed.
Now, let’s talk about Mast Cell Activation Syndrome. Now MCAS and histamine intolerance go together because when you have MCAS histamine is one of the mediators released by your Mast Cells.
Mast cells are a critical part of your immune system and without them you won’t heal from an injury. There is a disorder where they become overactive and cause serious problems in the body. This condition is called mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS).
Mold, chemicals, allergens, viruses, heavy metals, and toxins can all set off MCAS. Mold is probably the number one reason among them.
The number 1 sign in mold illness that you have MCAS is neurological symptoms. You can also have skin reactions like hives and flushing, especially if you are in mold exposure and / or detoxing it.
The most common symptoms include fatigue, poor memory, brain fog, inability to focus, mood disorders, migraines, rashes, hives, low blood pressure, heart racing, becoming lightheaded when standing up quickly, diarrhea, abdominal pain, constipation, nausea, bloating, strong PMS symptoms, allergy like symptoms, asthma, wheezing, and shortness of breath.
So what can you do about it? You need to get your histamine under control. So the first thing is to change to a low histamine diet that is high in nutrients.
You also need to take a DAO enzyme supplement, which we discussed earlier.
It could also be good to use natural anti-histamines and mast cell stabilizers like vitamin c depending on the type, stinging nettle, bromelain, ginger, and quercetin. Please don’t use over the counter anti histamines often as the body can become used to them and requiring that you take more to do the same work.
You should also increase exercise and sweating. This gets the blood pumping to help remove toxins faster from the cells and out of the body. Just don’t overly stress your body so that it can’t recover easily.
A simple menu for dinner would be something like a rosemary chicken, broccoli noodles with garlic, and white chocolate chip cookie dough for dessert. You can find those recipes on the internet, just make sure they don’t have any ingredients that are high in histamines. Some of my favorite recipes for MCAS can be found on mastcell360.com.
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